Re-Using Toilet Paper Rolls

Time to get crafty! Everyone gathers a stash of those empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls. You feel bad throwing them away, but you do not quite know what to do with them. Other than binoculars or swords for your kids, they do not appear to have much use. They do not have much use until you think about it and find cute and crafty ways to use them online.

One way is to make them into little gift boxes. What you do is take the ends and fold them on top of one another. All you will have to do is make two folds on each end. Then you can paint the outside however you want! The most you will need is some tape on the outside to seal the ends and keep them from opening. This is great as a party favor or little gift box for thank you’s.

You can make a floral themed wall hanging if you have a bunch of them. First, cut them in half. Then you take them and squish them a little bit so they have an oblong shape and then glue them together. As you add layers and layers of them fanning out from the center, you will create a unique and creative wall hanging that looks professional. There are plenty of varieties on this concept, I would recommend looking it up online so that you can choose which one you like the best.

Bird feeders are fairly easy projects to do, simple enough that you can do them with your kids and yet they do not last terribly long so you do not have to worry about maintaining them! Grab a few toilet paper rolls, or paper towel rolls if you are feeling particularly ambitious, some peanut butter, birdseed, and old shoelaces. Take the peanut butter and spread a fairly good sized layer around the outside so that it is completely covered and there is enough so that things can stick to it. Then roll it in birdseed. The easiest way to do this is by spreading the birdseed out on a plate that is big enough that you can cover it in seed and easily roll the peanut butter creation over it. Once you have done that, take the old shoelace and loop it through. You can use this to hang it on a deck or from your porch. Even a tree, if you can reach!

If you are in need of a heart-shaped stamp, look no further! All you have to do is create an indent in your roll and tape the sides together and you have a completely functional stamp that has enough grip room that even the clumsiest kid can hold it without a problem.

One of the most creative ideas that I have come across are music makers. All you need is needle, thread, a toilet paper roll, and some average sleigh bells from your local craft store. What you do is you poke holes in your cardboard, then you sew the bell to it using your needle and thread. I’d recommend attaching six columns with two rows. That makes an evenly balanced noisemaker.